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Clowns

I have 4 clowns. 2 of which are large and 2 that are half as large. They have been together for 3 months or so. One of the smaller ones was driven away from the other 3. The 3 have bonded with a lage rock with a large amount of soft coral growth. Can't remember coral name but it grows like a weed. I have a 140 gallon tank. 3 tangs. A wrasse. A few shrimp and other inverts. Question is why did they drive him off. Will hedie? Looks really lonely. Other change was a few days before I pulled about 20 pounds of live rock that had rapidly growing sod corals out and set up a 30 gallon soft only tank. No fish. Any ideas advice would be appreciated.
 
In the wild there can be large groups of clowns together. I think when there are that many, the dominant pair are not able to chase each and every one away.

In the home aquaria, it doesn't always work out the way we hoped. I added 3 juvis to my mated pair, they systematically drove away one at a time until only one was left (the other two I removed). This third one dances the subservient dance and is tolerated by the female. The male will still drive him away but in the anemone when inflated he cannot see where the juvi is/or ignores the juvi.

With your situation i'm not sure if it's similar, OR if the 4th one you have somehow started turning into a male or female. Either way it would not be tolerated by the mature male/female pair you have.

p.s. the 3 juvis I added were born from this mated pair. I raised them as fry and even then the mother didn't want anything to do with two of them.
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I agree with Phil. I tried to keep a small group of 5 clowns and one by one they were singled out and died until I had a pair.
 
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